Anyone want to share their process files?

The official subforum for discussion of the installation and use of the official M2 Dual Extruder upgrade.
LazMech
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Anyone want to share their process files?

Post by LazMech » Sun Jun 28, 2015 9:29 pm

I did a search for "process file" and "fff" in the dual extruder subforum and didn't see any process files shared; just bits of gcode. Is there somewhere (perhaps a very experienced member's blog/site) where I can grab various process files?

For the single extruder setup I went from the standard S3D process to a process file from rsilver that someone mentioned and saw dramatic improvements. I'm sure many experienced members have a variety of tested process files for a variety of qualities, materials, etc. I would appreciate it if some of you could share those files or point me to a site where I can grab them from. I'll teach myself to fish as I print more but I sure would like some fish right off the bat, especially since they're digital fish so they cost nothing to share.

The standard S3D left extruder process caused the right extruder to bump into a clip and it purged the left extruder on the plate; I fixed that but I am guessing overall it's not the optimal process. I downloaded the fff files MakerGear supplied but their left and right process files are the opposite of what S3D calls left and right; who knows what else is wrong or how old the files are.

jsc
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Re: Anyone want to share their process files?

Post by jsc » Mon Jun 29, 2015 9:05 pm

Here is my current process file. It is set up as I'm currently loaded, PLA on the right extruder and PETG on the left, using a dual v4 setup. If you have any questions, I can give justifications for any setting and why you might choose differently.

Note that you will probably want to run an extrusion calibration and change the extrusion multiplier and gcode offset in the Extruder and G-Code tabs.
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jsc.fff.zip
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LazMech
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Re: Anyone want to share their process files?

Post by LazMech » Wed Jul 01, 2015 5:53 am

Ok thanks for sharing. I'm sure I'll be asking lots of questions eventually.

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jhaupt
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Re: Anyone want to share their process files?

Post by jhaupt » Tue Sep 01, 2015 3:32 pm

One reply to this post?

This is an ongoing bother to me.

We all know there are countless little variations in the way M2s can be set up, as well as differences in user's operating environments (air humidity, etc), but I have a hard time understanding why it isn't easier to find folks' process files for various materials, at least to have common starting points for user-specific tweaks. There would be value in this.

I'm imagining a single repository of process files, maybe with a community rating and comment functionality for each. Sort by machine configuration, e.g. v4 with zebra plate, and then by material. If this kind of system existed I could imagine seeing process files iteratatively improved in an open-source way and a group consensus forming about something close to optimal configurations, at least as general starting points for people's own machines. GitHub is the best extant tool I can think but it's not really right.

Scouring forums for crumbs of information that depend in many case on a historian's knowledge of the forum and partial descriptions of process settings forces each of us to reinvent the wheel.

This post is probably more appropriate for the filament forum. Maybe this point should be raised there.

~Justine

Bratag
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Re: Anyone want to share their process files?

Post by Bratag » Tue Sep 01, 2015 4:51 pm

jhaupt wrote:One reply to this post?

This is an ongoing bother to me.

We all know there are countless little variations in the way M2s can be set up, as well as differences in user's operating environments (air humidity, etc), but I have a hard time understanding why it isn't easier to find folks' process files for various materials, at least to have common starting points for user-specific tweaks. There would be value in this.

I'm imagining a single repository of process files, maybe with a community rating and comment functionality for each. Sort by machine configuration, e.g. v4 with zebra plate, and then by material. If this kind of system existed I could imagine seeing process files iteratatively improved in an open-source way and a group consensus forming about something close to optimal configurations, at least as general starting points for people's own machines. GitHub is the best extant tool I can think but it's not really right.

Scouring forums for crumbs of information that depend in many case on a historian's knowledge of the forum and partial descriptions of process settings forces each of us to reinvent the wheel.

This post is probably more appropriate for the filament forum. Maybe this point should be raised there.

~Justine
To be fair people have shared their process files on a number of occasions. RSilvers are even up on thingiverse. What you are proposing has less to do with the M2 and more to do with the slicing software (remember not everyone uses S3D). Setting up what you envisage takes time, effort, hosting etc and the simple fact is that not everyone has the cycles for that kind of thing. If you want to go ahead and start it off I am sure others would contribute but its the initial kickoff thats going to be needed

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Jules
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Re: Anyone want to share their process files?

Post by Jules » Tue Sep 01, 2015 5:46 pm

Unfortunately, I can never post my process files. They all have minor adjustments to the Z built into the G-code for optimal use on my machine, and some of them have a fairly hefty range of movement of the starting point, depending on whether i am using a Zebra plate, whether it is on the white side or on the black side, Kapton tape on glass, PEI surface, where i had my Z-stop set at the time that i created that batch of process files, V3B versus V4, etc. If newbies neglect to adjust that out - they could damage their glass plate. (I still have concerns about a newbie dialing in the settings i listed for PETG and blowing his brand new V4 out of the seat because he neglected to adjust the speeds and tension. I almost didn't post the description because of it.)

Besides, S3D already comes with basic fff setups for the M2 for PLA and ABS. What is the difference between tweaking those to get better results and tweaking someone else's process to match your setup? For the more esoteric filaments, there is Insta's "Filaments that work with the M2" thread, that gives the starting tweaks for each of the other filaments that we use. As new ones come out, someone writes it up and puts it there. It's really not all that difficult to adjust a couple of temperature and retraction settings in S3d, as opposed to importing an fff file and then having to make filament diameter, extrusion multiplier and Z-code adjustments. And it's a lot less dangerous for beginners. :D

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ednisley
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Re: Anyone want to share their process files?

Post by ednisley » Tue Sep 01, 2015 6:11 pm

jhaupt wrote:countless little variations in the way M2s can be set up
Which is why a repository of process files doesn't really work: you need a configuration specifically set up for your printer in your conditions using your filament for your models.

My process files (admittedly, for Slic3r, but let's assume I was using S3D) would crash your M2 hard, because yours doesn't have the same modifications as mine. Your configurations won't work for me, for the same reason. Tim's won't work for either of us, because he's using a Smoothieboard (clone). Insta is off in the weeds with a weird-ass collection of M2s, each tuned for something more bizarre than all the others.

And so forth and so on.

As nearly as I can tell, two bone-stock M2s with identical hardware and firmware and filament could use the same process files, but any changes trigger configuration proliferation.

There just ain't any shortcuts!

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jhaupt
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Re: Anyone want to share their process files?

Post by jhaupt » Tue Sep 01, 2015 8:16 pm

I wanted to iterate that I feel it would be useful for a starting point.

All the compatibility issues that are dangerous to the machine involve variation in end stop positions and other machine dimensions. OK, so anyone expoloring someone elses process file does so with the unerstanding that the details in the "gcode" and "script" tabs in S3D should be ignored. That's not unreasonable.

>And it's a lot less dangerous for beginners. :D

That's true.

And right, who has time to make a real repository? If I have some good settings I'll post them on the "filaments that work" thread.

jsc
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Re: Anyone want to share their process files?

Post by jsc » Tue Sep 01, 2015 8:42 pm

I entertained the notion, briefly, of setting up a web site that would allow users to upload their slicer settings and parse them, so you could see the range of values people used for various settings for different filaments, etc. I decided the total utility vs. work required didn't add up for me.

nirfriedman
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Re: Anyone want to share their process files?

Post by nirfriedman » Wed Sep 02, 2015 1:04 am

As a newbie who is actively "collecting crumbs" from the forum, I want to add my 2cents (3 actually).

First, I think it is great that there is an active user community, and I think it is super important for getting over what in retrospect were minor problems that blocked me from using the machine properly.

Second, I tried downloading RSilver's fff from thingiverse, and although none of the test prints with it worked, I learned a lot from it.

Finally, as a newbie it would be useful to learn what are the issues I should check for. For example, what are "extrusion calibration" mentioned by jsc? and how does one go about doing such tests? having a pinned post that mentions the test you want to go through on your machine would be super-useful.

Nir

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